Post Temple Destruction; Post Living Temple Rubbing; movin’ on.

One person seemed to ‘get’ what I’m doing with my NineDays project — probably better than I did.

Interior of the Greenpoint Synagogue; site rubbed during The Nine Days

A rabbi friend of mine (Avram Tov). He called it my personal “minhag“* which I thought was the best compliment, ever.

So this year’s been good.

Lighting of Greenpoint Synagogue, taken from balcony/women's section

Thanks to everyone who participated, and encouraged, and even just watched as I tried to explain what could possibly motivate anyone to rub a living temple every day during The Nine Days.

Natalie, of the Greenpoint shul, who’s the gardener. She told me that ‘all the problems of the world can be solved in the garden’ (or I’m paraphrasing here); Hedda, who went to the trouble to rub her old shul/school in Brooklyn; the lovely counselors in Kensignton’s Chabad, who participated; the kids in Park Slope’s Chabad summer program, who rubbed enough to make a ‘wall’ of their own; my shul, for listening to me; Rabbi Raskin, for encouraging me and supporting me; David Sprouls, for walking with me; Mark Heutlinger, for giving me permission to rub Emanue-El Synagogue; Paulius, for building the NineDayswebsite from scratch, and in record time; Joanne Palmer, for encouraging me to write about it; Jim, for always giving me a ‘thumbs up.’

The list goes on.

alighted outside the synagogue in Greenpoint

Natalie and I watched as this gorgeous ‘damselfly’ alighted onto the fence outside the shul; then sat there for a good long while, until I scaled the banister to get upstairs to rub the front door. Natalie said they are important creatures, a ‘good sign.’

Amen.

(*Jewish terminology alert. You can ‘get’ it without knowing.-SS)